


Deciding

by Merfilly



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Other, Pretty sure this is platonic one, but you can interpret in other ways, good bits verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-10 03:51:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6938533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A moment as Mace chooses how he's going to handle his Commander.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Deciding

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe I should actually gather these up into a loose series, but it's a non-Vader, War-wrapping up verse again.

Mace Windu tried very hard to avoid the dangers of attachment. His connections to Depa and Sar were both vulnerabilities for him, yet he'd maintained his ties to both. The death of Sar at Geonosis had speared both he and Depa with a reminder of the dangers.

Yet here he was, courting those dangers again, by taking Ponds with him on retreat. In theory, it was to comply with precautions against Jedi and Clone Officers being alone and at risk to assassination. In practice, Mace knew he could have invited Depa and Caleb instead.

A selfish part of his heart had prompted Mace to this. He had seen the bonds other Jedi shared with their commanders. He wanted it even as he wished never to feel his heart tear open again. Just because the war was dying down, did not mean Ponds would be safe.

"Master Windu, I thought you were supposed to be relaxing," Ponds said with uncanny ability to see what was under Mace's perpetual scowl. 

They were both stripped to smallclothes, sitting in a steambox, inhaling a woodsy scent in the air. Mace half-smiled at him. 

"Thinking is relaxing." At the skeptical look, Mace had to laugh. "Or it can be."

"What are you considering now, sir?" 

"Whether I can handle it when you knock off using 'sir' and if you even want to use my name," Mace answered honestly.

There was a long silence as they both sweated out the toxins of stress and trauma. Mace even closed his eyes, breathing away his ruminations.

"Sir… you can handle near anything you choose to," Ponds said quietly. "And Mace is a privilege to say, if I have that right."

"Can't think of any man with more right to it, Ponds," Mace told him, choosing the attachment, no matter the dangers.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Together](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6992404) by [bluedragoninamber](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluedragoninamber/pseuds/bluedragoninamber)




End file.
